Gildredge Manor is one of Eastbourne’s most prestigious listed buildings and uniquely appointed for a number of different uses and occasions.
Gildredge Manor (formerly known as The Manor House, the Gilbert/Gildredge Manor House and more recently the (old) Towner Art Gallery and Museum) was originally built by the Reverend Dr. Henry Lushington (the vicar of East Bourn) in 1776 on the site of a former inn.
The original building is of the late Georgian period (during the reign of King George III) and although the architect is unknown, it has similarities with buildings designed by Sir Robert Taylor (1714–1788) and has a connection to the famous Adam brothers with some typical Adam features in the house as well as a Hermitage in the grounds known as the Adam House.
The view by S. Grimm shows the house in 1785. A description of 1787 stated that it was “the best house and gardens in this village and most delightfully situated, both for land and sea prospects”.
Reverend Lushington’s son Stephen sold it to a relation Charles Gilbert in 1792 and it remained in the family (later the Davies-Gilberts) until 1922. There was also a connection by marriage to a member of the Gildredge family, who were landowners of much of Eastbourne hence the link to Gildredge Park.
